Active Shoulder Rotator

ABSTRACT

The disclosure relates to an active shoulder rotator comprising a base and a support plate. A support assembly attaches the support plate to the base. A track extends into a bottom of the support plate. A roller body assembly including slidable Teflon-based objects is coupled to, or within, one or more tracks. A strap is coupled to the roller body assembly and is configured for securing to a hand of a user such that movement of the roller body assembly via the roller body within a track facilitates movement of the shoulder and upper arm of the user.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE Field of the Invention

This disclosure relates to rehabilitation devices and more specifically relates to a rehabilitation device for assisting a user in regaining strength and range of motion in the user's shoulder after an injury or surgery.

Description of the Related Art

Shoulder rehabilitation devices generally require a user to use their good arm to assist their impacted arm with a specific orthotic device and always in a sitting position to move the impacted arm in a specific direction. With these designs, shoulder rehabilitation devices generally require significant effort and frequently incur significant pain in a user and are not suitable for persons unable to exert a significant amount of effort or who have had recent surgery.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of an active shoulder rotator comprises a base and a support plate. A support assembly attaches the support plate to the base. A track extends into a bottom of the support plate. A roller body assembly including a roller body coupled to, or within, one or more tracks. A strap is coupled to the roller body assembly and is configured for securing to a hand of a user such that movement of the roller body assembly via the roller bodies within a track facilitates movement of the shoulder and upper arm of the user.

Other features and aspects will be apparent from the following detailed description, the drawings, and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a front view of an embodiment of an active shoulder rotator.

FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of an embodiment of an active shoulder rotator.

FIG. 3 shows a height adjustment of an embodiment of an active shoulder rotator.

FIG. 4 shows a roller body assembly of an embodiment of an active shoulder rotator.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of a base of the invention.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of a base with ribbed extension legs.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of an active shoulder rotator of the present disclosure.

Throughout the drawings and the detailed description, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements. The drawings may not be to scale, and the relative size, proportions, and depiction of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity, illustration, and convenience.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description is provided to assist the reader in gaining a comprehensive understanding of the products and/or systems described herein. However, various changes, modifications, and equivalents of the products and/or systems described herein will be apparent to an ordinary skilled artisan.

The invention is directed to a shoulder rehabilitation device that uses gravity-controlled movements of the user's shoulder or arm to increase range of motion ROM for all levels of injury be it post-operative or chronic in nature. The device helps the user to generate smooth movements from their arm's initial momentum thereby decreasing their dependence on muscle use. This effect along with the use of gravity acting as a downward driving force enables the user to more effectively stretch their impacted shoulder's joint, tendons, and ligaments more comfortably allowing them to increase their range of motion safely and without pain.

The disclosed device allows for multi-angular movement and lets the user use an impacted/injured arm and improve without significant effort. In addition, the user may be in a supine position, lying down, which allows them to easily move their arm with little or no muscle use, hence a person coming out of a surgery will not experience pain as they would with a traditional device.

FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of an active shoulder rotator 1. Active shoulder rotator 1 includes base 2, vertical tube 3 including holes 4, elbow 5, track plate 6 including track rings 7, carabiner 8, and strap 9. In preferred embodiments, there may be between three and five track rings.

FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of an embodiment of an active shoulder rotator 1. It is noted that like elements are referred to with the same reference numerals throughout the Figures. FIG. 2 shows rubber feet 10 and base plate 11 connected to base 2. Spring pin 12 inserts into vertical tube 3 at a hole 4 and provides one means for connecting vertical tube 3 to elbow 4. This arrangement allows the height of track plate 12 relative to base 2 to be adjusted as shown in FIG. 3. Elbow 5 connects to vertical tube 4 and track plate 6. Track plate 6 includes track rings 7 which may be configured to contain roller body assemblies 13. The number of track rings may preferably range from three to five. Roller body assemblies 13 are connected to carabiner 7 and strap 8. Equivalent means for all connections in the active shoulder rotator 1 that would be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are contemplated.

FIG. 3 shows one embodiment of a height adjustment of an active shoulder rotator 1 using spring pin 12 to adjust the connection between elbow 5 and vertical tube 3.

FIG. 4 shows a roller body assembly 13 of an embodiment of the invention. Roller body assembly 13 includes solid curved slidable teflon-based objects 14 that may lie flat against the tracks and allow for continuous “frictionless” movement of a user's arm when the user initiates it. Equipped with centralized rotating pin 15 attached to ball 21 and with a hook at the end, which connects to a loop for a carabiner 7 which may connect to a strap 8, which allows for 360 degree movement of the impacted arm. In one embodiment, the first three roller bodies may be of the same curvilinear shape. The last two may also be of the same curvilinear shape but with more curvature.

The advantages of the roller bodies with slidable Teflon based objects includes the fact that a roller body lies completely flat against the surface and slides in the tracks allowing for significantly smoother movements than what, for example, a wheeled hook assembly can deliver, and will not cause a ‘catching’ or ‘ratcheting’ effect which may require it to be lubricated with e.g., W40. Furthermore, Teflon is a light, very durable and smooth molded material. In preferred embodiments, the Teflon-based objects may range from ½ inch to 4 inches long by ¼ inch to 1 inch wide by ¼ inch to 1 inch high.

FIG. 5 shows one embodiment of a base with two legs 17, 18 with an elbow 19.

FIG. 6 shows one embodiment of a base with ribbed extension legs 20.

The base is much lighter than having titanium or steel base padding underneath for support. It makes up for the lighter weight by having “ribbed” sections under the legs which allows for gaining significantly more purchase, or traction, relative to the surface it is on when the user is pulling on the sling downward or in a circular motion. Furthermore, the base is almost completely flat, which allows the user to comfortably lie on top of it or have parts of their shoulder/upper body on top of it without impinging or hurting themselves.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of an active shoulder rotator. The elbow 5′ in FIG. 7 is wider at the top, and does not have a diagonally curved side at one end.

While this disclosure includes specific examples, it will be apparent after an understanding of the disclosure of this application has been attained that various changes in form and details may be made in these examples without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims and their equivalents. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An active shoulder rotator comprising: a base; a vertical tube connected to the base; an elbow connected to the vertical tube; a track plate connected to the elbow and comprising one or more track rings; wherein the track rings are configured to contain one or more roller body assemblies comprising one or more slidable teflon-based objects.
 2. The active shoulder rotator of claim 1, wherein the connection between the elbow and vertical tube allows the height of the track plate to be adjusted relative to the base.
 3. The active shoulder rotator of claim 1, further comprising a baseplate connected to the base on the opposite side of the base from the connection to the vertical tube.
 4. The active shoulder rotator of claim 1, further comprising rubber feet connected to the base.
 5. The active shoulder rotator of claim 1, further comprising a strap connected to the carabiner.
 6. The active shoulder rotator of claim 1, wherein the roller body assembly comprises: a connection bar attached to a rotatable ball; and wherein the connection bar is capable of connecting to a carabiner.
 7. The active shoulder rotator of claim 6, wherein the carabiner connects to a strap.
 8. The active shoulder rotator of claim 6, wherein the roller body assembly is capable of freely rolling or rotating within a track ring of the track plate via the slidable teflon-based objects.
 9. The active shoulder rotator of claim 6, wherein the slidable teflon-based objects comprise a circular region.
 10. The active shoulder rotator of claim 1, wherein the base comprises two legs with an elbow on each leg.
 11. The active shoulder rotator of claim 1, wherein the two legs of the base are ribbed.
 12. The active shoulder rotator of claim 1, wherein there are between three and five track rings.
 13. The active shoulder rotator of claim 1, wherein the slidable teflon-based objects range from ½ inch to 4 inches long by ¼ inch to 1 inch wide by ¼ inch to 1 inch high. 